McDonald's is removing ingredients from some of its most popular foods this year to attract more health-conscious customers in the future.

Four-piece Chicken McNuggets. (Christina.Aguilera@us.mcd.com)

The fast food giant announced this week it has eliminated artificial preservatives, colors and flavors from its Chicken McNuggets. The company's pork sausage patties and omelet-style eggs served on McGriddles, Bagel and Biscuit breakfast sandwiches, and scrambled eggs on breakfast platters, are also free of artificial preservatives.

By the end of this month, buns used on Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, Filet-O-Fish and McChicken sandwiches will no longer contain high fructose corn syrup, a sweetener often used in soda, candy and other processed food. McDonald's President Mike Andres said the changes come as more people than ever "care about their food - where it comes from, what goes into it and how it's prepared."

"We're making changes to ensure the food we're proud of is food our customers love and feel good eating, and we remain committed to our continuing food journey at McDonald's," he said.

McDonald's recently moved from liquid margarine to real butter on its Egg McMuffin and began offering milk and yogurt without rbST, an artificial growth hormone. Some restaurants are featuring new items, including turkey sausage, guacamole, Sriracha and pico de gallo.

"From our test kitchens to what we serve in our restaurants, we're zeroing in on how to bring new flavors and choices some never seen before on our menu to customers across the country," said Chef Jessica Foust, director of culinary innovation for McDonald's.

Other chains, including Panera Bread, Papa John's, and Taco Bell, are cutting artificial ingredients, which have been linked to a host of health problems.

Are you more likely to eat at McDonald's since the recent menu changes?